Top 100 lists grow up so fast, don't they? Why, it seems only yesterday that we were in the 40s. Now we're about to crack open the 30s! Which means that if you're waiting for a particular moment to appear, it's nitty-gritty time. Have you seen anything for How to Be a Gentleman yet? What about The Playboy Club? No I Hate My Teenage Daughter? Uh-oh, things aren't looking good for those three.
We'll be posting 10 items each weekday through December 30, so check back often to see what made the cut!
40. Sarah Silverman and Jeff Goldblum guest-star on The League
FX's crass fantasy football comedy recruited two of our favorites for its Thanksgiving episode, and the casting was spot-on: Goldblum looks EXACTLY like Nick Kroll's dad (or at least what we assume his dad must look like), and seeing Silverman on TV again made us miss The Sarah Silverman Program even more. The two slid into the show like champs, and Silverman even out-raunched the rest of the cast with ease. Eating sorbet has now taken on a whole new meaning.
You can watch the
39. MTV's pleasant surprises
After assaulting our senses with orange goombas and teens using their baby-makers to get on TV, the former music channel delivered two shows that are--*gulp*--actually good. Teen Wolf and Awkward. proved that we can no longer underestimate the Home of Snooki when it comes to original programming.
38. Enlightened's humanistic comedy
After Enlightened's initial episode--in which a screaming, mascara-streaked Amy Jellicoe (Laura Dern) had a very public, very funny meltdown--it was safe to assume this would be a series about a walking punchline and the hysterical lengths to which she'd go in order to improve her life. But over the course of its next nine episodes, Enlightened surprised us all by becoming a subtle yet powerful proponent of good intentions and the notion that self-improvement is indeed a noble quest. Mike White's wryly humanistic writing gave every character moments of redemption, whether it was Amy's rude (yet guilty) co-workers, her shy (yet lovelorn) cubicle mate, or even her cold (yet tragic) mother. Bring on Season 2!
37. Chuck gets hitched
Who woulda thunk the accidental spy would ever land the girl of his dreams!? Okay, it's a TV show so of course he would, and Chuck and Sarah tied the knot in the Season 4 finale. It seemed like the perfect capper to a fun series; it's too bad Season 5 and the Morgan-has-the-Intersect storyline have only gone downhill.
36. New Girl isn't just the Zooey D. show
Fox nabbing Zooey *Drool*schanel was one of the big casting grabs of the season, but we all feared New Girl's potential would be obscured by a 24/7 reliance on goofy Zooey. Instead, the comedy developed a mini family by realizing the importance of developing supporting characters.
35. Kelsey Grammer is Boss
Starz has a potential critics' favorite on its hands with its new political drama, and Kelsey Grammer is helming the ship is with a powerhouse performance as an ailing Chicago mayor. Boss is one of the best new shows of the season, and a lot of the credit goes to the former Frasier Crane. He's handled the move from comedy to drama like a... champ.
34. Charlie Sheen's meltdown (for a while, anyway)
Hey man, did you hear about Charlie Sheen?
Here's video proof of how much we, the media, milked this thing.
33. Walt breaks mad
Breaking Bad was straight-up sick this season, and one of the many images the show burned into our retinas was that of Walter White rolling around on the floor of his basement, transforming into Heisenberg, and cackling like a mad man. Chills to the bone.
32. Sterling Archer gets breast cancer
There's nothing funny about breast cancer, except when the world's cockiest male spy gets it. Over the course of Archer's "Stage Two" and "Placebo Effect," the macho spy was diagnosed with the Big C, made peace with his coworkers (a bizarre notion in and of itself), and underwent faux-chemotherapy via chewable tablets made of sugar pills and Zima. The rest of the story saw Archer setting out on a revenge-soaked rampage, complete with a Family Feud spoof in which strikes earned contestants a knee full of shotgun buckshot. Plus everyone got high.
31. Dr. Rosen's final speech on Alphas
When Syfy announced Alphas, it seemed like an attempt to throw Heroes and Law & Order into a blender. But the resulting smoothie was tasty, and the show became one of the summer's biggest surprises thanks to its fantastic characters (Gary FTW!). And the stirring speech by non-powered Dr. Rosen in the Season 1 finale gave us hope that the show will become more than just a one-season wonder.
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